Who is Ayn Rand? 04 Jun 2010 Charles Murray A review of Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right, by Jennifer Burns and Ayn Rand and the World She Made, by Anne C. Heller
Ayn Rand, engineer of souls by Anthony Daniels 05 Feb 2010 Anthony Daniels A critical account of the Chernyshevsky of individualism. (Ed.There are problems with this article but it is an interesting read anyway.)
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We have a fine roster of news items and commentary this week as well as several new editorials posted on the front page of ifeminists.net. http://www.ifeminists.net One of them deals with my harassment by a feminist (Olivia Gonzales) whom I've nicknamed 'I-want-women-gang-raped Gonzales' (for reasons that will be obvious) and with a response I'm experimenting with as a means to reduce such abuse in my life.
Please remember there is a search function on the ifeminists.net site (see top, left-hand side) that permits you access to all the material that has been posted, including an archive of the 10 news/commentary items which appear daily in the newsfeed. This is a free resource offered to you for research, entertainment...
Now onto the main event.
Wendy
ALERTS
Send stories of your dad to Jennifer http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6673 Jennifer Roback Morse writes, "Fathers do not get the credit they deserve in the raising of children. The courts downplay them, the feminists dismiss them, and they media diss them. Even the social scientists who know from their data that dads matter, often can't quite put their finger on why. The kinds of things social science can measure, such as time spent doing different activities and parenting styles, don't necessarily capture what dads do. "Between now and Father's Day, I plan to publish stories that illustrate the many, sometimes intangible, contributions of fathers to child development." Send her stories about your father to JMorse AT jps.net
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Robert and Rob EQUAL parenting bike trek! http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6656 It is official! August 11th 2007 Robert Pedersen and Rob Mackenzie will start their over 600 mile bicycle trek from the Lansing Capitol to Washington, D.C.. This will be an intense multi-day bike trek through numerous states ending in Washington, D.C. where they will be greeted by thousands of people attending the national rally in Washington, D.C. on August the 18th.
NEWS REPORTS
Justice Ginsburg has her say http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6697 Whatever else may be said about the Supreme Court's current term, which ends in about a month, it will be remembered as the time when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg found her voice, and used it. Both in the abortion case the court decided last month and the discrimination ruling it issued on Tuesday, Ginsburg read forceful dissents from the bench. In each case, she spoke not only for herself but also for three other dissenting colleagues, Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter and Stephen Breyer. But the words were clearly her own, and they were both passionate and pointed. In the abortion case, in which the court upheld the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act seven years after having struck down a similar state law, she noted that the court was now "differently composed than it was when we last considered a restrictive abortion regulation." In the latest case, she summoned Congress to overturn what she called the majority's "parsimonious reading" of the federal law against discrimination in the workplace. (05/31/07)
Sweden allows 'saviour siblings' http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6694 Swedish officials have granted permission under a new law for three families to create “saviour sibling” embryos to be used to obtain stem cells for treatment of seriously ill children. The families will have embryos created in vitro, screened for desired genetic traits and implanted. If the children survive to birth, they will be used to produce a transplant of healthy stem cells from the umbilical cord and placenta. Sweden’s new law follows the broad use of genetic testing of embryos, called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Doctors now commonly offer the procedure for embryos created in vitro to select against certain genetic abnormalities, destroying those embryos with potential genetic illnesses. (05/29/07)
Iraq, Christian women warned to wear veil http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6693 A letter signed by the Mahdi Army linked to Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Iraqi Shiite cleric who the United States considers the greatest threat to security in Iraq, warned Christian women in Baghdad to wear the veil as do Muslim women. It is the latest in a long string of abuses against Iraqi Christians, including rape, murder, kidnapping, extortion and forced conversions, AsiaNews reported Wednesday. Answering the question "What measure should be taken against a woman who disobeys her father, husband, or her guardian by not committing to the legal veil?" the letter said husbands and fathers "must guide and educate her religiously in order to convince her. If she is not convinced still, then they must imprison her at home and do not expose her to the forbidden interaction with men." Finally, it warns "special committees have been established to follow up on this matter." (05/30/07)
Dems plan vote on stem cell http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6689 Congress intends to send President Bush legislation next week to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, inviting his second veto in as many years on the subject. As was the case last year, Bush appears likely to make his veto stick. Several Democratic officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wednesday that supporters of the bill appear to lack the two-thirds majority needed to override him. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., a leading advocate of the legislation, did not dispute that assessment in an interview. "If he does veto it again it will just show his complete unwillingness to look at this research that holds the potential for cure of these diseases," she said. (05/31/07)
Mexico's SC to review abortion law http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6686 Mexico's Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of a new law that legalizes abortion in Mexico City, the high court said in a statement on Tuesday. Last month, Mexico City's legislature made abortion legal in the capital during the first 12 weeks of a woman's pregnancy, sparking street demonstrations both for and against the new law. The law, which has been criticized by Pope Benedict and other religious figures, is one of the first to legalize abortion in predominantly Catholic Latin America. In its statement, the court said it accepted a challenge to the law by Mexico's top human rights official, Jose Luis Soberanes, who argued that it violates Mexico's constitution. The court did not say when it would take up the case. (05/29/07)
CA, ruling on abuse of women frees inmate http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6683 After spending 16 years in prison, Hudie Joyce Walker walked out of a Pomona courtroom Tuesday a free woman — a sign of how much the law has changed for battered women who strike back. Walker was the beneficiary of the first appellate court decision to interpret a 2002 state law that allows inmates to reopen their cases if they can show that expert testimony on abuse probably would have changed the outcome. (05/30/07)
$6.65M to 14 alleged clergy victims http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6681 The Archdiocese oc Chicago has reached $6.65 million in settlements with 14 people who claim they were abused by Chicago-area priests. Attorney Jeffery Anderson says the settlements cover lawsuits filed against 12 priests. (05/29/07)
SC limits sex discrim cases http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6679 A deeply divided Supreme Court made it harder Tuesday for women to sue their employers for paying them less than their male counterparts. In a 5-4 decision by Justice Samuel Alito, the court rejected arguments by an Alabama woman that she could hold her employer, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, liable for failing to pay her as much as male co-workers during the years she was a factory supervisor. It tossed out a jury decision awarding her back pay and damages. (05/29/07)
Anglicanism 'a mess' over gay issue http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6678 A senior Anglican conservative witheringly described the state of the worldwide Church as "a mess" and "awful" yesterday as the Archbishop of Canterbury prepared to take a three-month break. The criticism will come as a blow to Dr Rowan Williams, who last week attempted to placate the Church's conservative wing by snubbing the Church's first openly gay bishop. Dr Williams announced that Bishop Gene Robinson will not be invited to next year's Lambeth Conference, the 10-yearly gathering of all the Church's 850-plus bishops in Canterbury. (05/29/07)
Women want chances to shoot http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6672 "I grew up with guns all my life. I belong to the Middletown Pistol & Rifle Association and I'm also vice-president, as well. As a member of the club, I noticed right away that there were no women in the club," says Heine. Therein lies the problem with many fish and game clubs. Even those that have women members, it's usually nothing more than a token amount. These women want to change that, knowing that women who see others getting involved may be inclined to give it a try themselves. (05/29/07)
Poland, 'gay' Teletubby probe http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6670 Ewa Sowinska,[Poland's] government-appointed children rights watchdog, told a local magazine published on Monday she was concerned the popular BBC children's show promoted homosexuality. She said she would ask psychologists to advise if this was the case. But in a sign that the government wants to distance itself from Sowinska's comments, Parliamentary Speaker Ludwig Dorn said he had warned her against making public comments "that may turn her department into a laughing stock." (05/28/07)
PA, sperm donor liable for support http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6667 The three-judge Pennsylvania Superior Court panel said that since a sperm donor whose semen produced two children for a lesbian couple subsequently involved himself in the family and gave them money, he had assumed some responsibility for their support. The man died while the case was pending. Legal experts said the ruling sets a precedent in making more than two people responsible for a child. (05/26/07)
CA-ON strike deal on stem cell http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6663 Tackling two policy initiatives deeply controversial in the United States – and opposed by President George W. Bush – [California Governor] Schwarzenegger is joining forces with [Ontario Premier] McGuinty to bolster medical science and curb climate change. Tomorrow, leaders of the most populous province and state will tout an agreement on stem cell work at the MaRS Discovery District research centre on College St. Sources say McGuinty will announce $30 million from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research will be earmarked for the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium of researchers here and in California. (05/28/07)
Darfur women share tales of rape http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6659 More than 200,000 civilians have died and 2.5 million are homeless out of Darfur's population of 6 million, the U.N. says, and a February report by the International Criminal Court alleges "mass rape of civilians who were known not to be participants in any armed conflict." In Sudan, as in many Islamic countries, society views a sexual assault as a dishonor upon the woman's entire family. "Victims can face terrible ostracism," says Maha Muna, the U.N. coordinator on this issue in Sudan. Some aid workers believe the janjaweed use rape to intimidate the rebels, their supporters and families. "It's a strategy of war," Muna said in an interview earlier this year. (05/28/07)
Aussie gay pub can bar heteros http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6658 A Melbourne pub catering for gay men has won the right to refuse entry to heterosexuals in a landmark ruling at the state planning tribunal. The owners of Collingwood's Peel Hotel applied to ban straight men and women to try to prevent "sexually based insults and violence" towards its gay patrons. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last week granted the pub an exemption to the Equal Opportunity Act, effectively prohibiting entry to non-homosexuals. (05/28/07)
SC hears 30-yr-old abuse suit http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6649 The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday in a lawsuit in which a former Vista High School student alleges that a teacher sexually abused her almost 30 years ago and that the Vista school district failed to prevent it. The case could reverberate far beyond Vista. The former student did not file a lawsuit until more than two decades after the alleged sexual abuse occurred ---- long after the time limits state law normally imposes for bringing cases against public agencies. If the Supreme Court decides that a change in state law in 2002 extended those time limits, representatives of public schools and other agencies statewide have said they fear public entities could be exposed to childhood sexual abuse lawsuits similar to those that plague the Roman Catholic Church today. (05/27/07)
Navy fires open 'gay' http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6647 The United States Navy has informed Petty Officer Second Class Jason Knight that it intends to fire him under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law just weeks prior to completing his one-year commitment. Knight, an openly gay sailor, was recalled to active duty in June 2006 and recently completed a tour of duty in Kuwait, where he was open about his sexual orientation with his command and fellow sailors. Knight told his story last weekend in the newspaper Stars & Stripes and was notified yesterday that he will be receiving an honorable discharge from the Navy based, in part, on his recent media interviews. Knight was scheduled to end his commitment on May 28, 2007, but will face early dismissal because he chose to go public about his experience. (05/11/07)
Woman falsely labeled sex offender by MySpace http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6642 It took nearly a week for Jessica Davis to get an explanation about why MySpace had labeled her a sex offender and pulled her profile from the social networking Web site. And when her name was finally cleared, it wasn't because of anything MySpace did. [Ed.: a frightening story of a woman who was mistaken for a sex offender with the same common name and her struggle to have the mistake corrected.] (05/25/07)
Durham coucil keeps dithering on Duke 'rape' http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6635 Durham City Council members agreed to continue pursuing an independent investigation of how the police department handled the Duke lacrosse case, a move that the police chief said he supported. Council members voted 6-1 Thursday in favor of a resolution to continue pursuing the third-party investigation, but they couldn't agree on specifics, such as who will conduct it and how much it will cost. They will discuss those issues again June 1. [Ed.: too little, too late...even if you believe that the gesture is sincere...which I don't. Damn their souls for not taking a stand sooner and helping the accused.] (05/25/07)
CA passes Transsexual-Bisexual-Homosexual Curriculum Bill http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6633 Radical legislation mandating that schoolchildren as young as kindergarten learn about and support transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality has passed the California State Senate. SB 777 requires textbooks, instructional materials, and school-sponsored activities to positively portray cross-dressing, sex-change operations, homosexual "marriages," and all aspects of homosexuality and bisexuality, including so-called "gay history." Silence on these sexual lifestyles will not be allowed. (05/24/07)
UK, drs to become police informants? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6632 The British government is weighing a plan that would require civil servants – including social workers and doctors – to report people deemed likely to commit acts of violence in the interest of stopping crimes before they are committed, according to a leaked official document. (05/21/07)
TX, police raid lingerie shop http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6631 An obscure law sends one local lingerie store clerk to jail. And now she may forever have to register as a sex offender. D.A. Grace says it’s not the D.A.’s job to decide whether a law is fair or not but it is their job to enforce it. And if the citizens have a problem with that, it’s their job to take it to the Texas legislature. "As a voter and a taxpayer, if you think the law is not fair, that’s what democracy is all about. Go talk to your congressman and see if you can get the law changed" says Grace. [Ed.: given that he is deliberately choosing to ruin the sales clerk's life by prusing charges, this is an incredibly callous and irresponsible statement.] (05/24/07)
Amero sentencing postponed http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6630 Sentencing was postponed today for Julie Amero, the former substitute teacher convicted of exposing seventh-grade students at Kelly Middle School in Norwich to pornographic images on her classroom computer. Amero faces a maximum of 40 years in prison based on her conviction in January on four counts of risk of injury to a minor. [Ed.: authorities will be very careful with the proprieties of this one because too many computer experts and those in the media are convinced of her absolute innocence. I am among them.] (05/24/07)
COMMENTARY AND OPINION
Her embryos or his? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6696 Ten hours before the embryos were to be implanted in Augusta's womb, Randy emerged from their study and broke unfathomable news: Despite all she had endured, he couldn't go through with it. The doctor's call announcing the creation of the embryos had crystallized nagging doubts about their marriage that he had harbored for years. He insisted on canceling the procedure and freezing the embryos while they attempted counseling to work through their differences. They agreed to separate. They could not agree, however, on the disposition of one piece of community property — the three embryos of the original six that had survived the freezing process. (05/30/07)
Feminist play must be protested http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6692 “Respect: A Musical Journey Of Women” is appearing in playhouses in Atlanta, Detroit, Green Bay Wisconsin, Minneapolis, Melbourne Australia, and Brisbane Australia. The play is based on a book by Dorothy Marcic, a feminist professor at Vanderbilt University. The theme is merely a ruse for insulting and ridiculing men (05/30/07)
The reality of being an Iraqi woman http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6691 President Bush, three years ago, marking International Women's Day and the "great progress" in human rights and women's rights in his administration: "Every woman in Iraq is better off because the rape rooms and torture chambers of Saddam Hussein are forever closed." The reality of being an Iraqi woman, a refugee in Syria, today: "Many of these women and girls, including some barely in their teens, are recent refugees. Some are tricked or forced into prostitution, but most say they have no other means of supporting their families." (05/29/07)
HPV politics http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6687 Although Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil "makes sense as an option" for many girls and young women, the "unseemly haste to require inoculations for all young girls" seems "especially precipitous" in light of a new study questioning "how effective the vaccine ultimately will prove," a Los Angeles Times editorial says. Public health officials have not yet "grappled with complex issues" regarding Gardasil, such as its efficacy and cost. Meanwhile, "[f]lush with initial promises about the drug's potential," legislators in at least 24 states have introduced bills to require HPV vaccination for school enrollment.. The editorial concludes that although there is "reason to hope" Gardasil will significantly lower the incidence of cervical cancer, the "rush to force a new vaccine on families has served mainly as a reminder to beware of even well-intentioned lawmakers bearing drug company gifts" (05/29/07)
Overzealous child support system http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6685 California-based filmmaker Angelo Lobo, producer and director of the documentary film "Support? System Down," says overzealous punitive measures designed to "collect" alleged overdue child support are wrong and unjust. "The current high-profile effort that tries to shame alleged nonpayers into paying child support by putting their names, faces, and other identifying information on pizza delivery boxes scares and hurts innocent parents and their families. Most of these targeted parents are deadbroke. Seizing alleged nonpayers' cars, driver's and professional licenses, and jail are other misguided methods of collecting support. (05/29/07)
NH, Sic Transfat Gloria Mundi http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6684 That headline translates roughly to So swallows the glory of the world or Taste is fleeting. Do you think lawmakers in Hartford should decide what you can eat when you go out in Greenwich or Stamford or Norwalk? Do you think they should keep unhealthy options away from you? They’ve taken one step closer to banning trans fats from being used in any restaurant in the state. (05/24/07)
Dissident DV Conference http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6682 Last year dozens of leading authorities in the domestic violence field formed the National Family Violence Legislative Resource Center (NFVLRC) to change the domestic violence system. The NFVLRC advocates for non-discriminatory and evidence-based policies and seeks to correct the many damaging laws and policies which have been based on misleading claims. Last year over 50 of these authorities signed a letter urging the California legislature to stop the state's policy of excluding male victims and their children from domestic violence services. The NFVLRC has just announced their upcoming conference--"From Ideology to Inclusion: Evidence-Based Policy and Intervention in Domestic Violence." The conference will be held Friday/Saturday, February 15-16, 2008 in Sacramento, California. (05/30/07)
The porn myth http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6675 In the end, porn doesn’t whet men’s appetites—it turns them off the real thing. [Ed.: I'm sure some men react to porn as Wolf describes but I doubt if it is the most common reaction or a serious cause-and-effect in the lives of most men and women. The most interesting aspect of the article is the implied rejection of Dworkin and the attempt to forge a new attack on porn.] (05/26/07)
Abortion avoided in Irish elections http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6674 Ireland's restrictive abortion ban causes thousands of women every year to "make the journey" abroad. Today's general elections are not expected to slow that migration after politicians largely avoided the incendiary topic. Ireland has one of the world's strictest anti-abortion laws with a ban on abortion written into the national constitution. Terminations are only permitted if there is a substantial risk to the woman's life. Destroying or aiding the destruction of the unborn carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. (05/24/07)
Guiliani debates himself on abortion http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6669 Warning: Humor. The debate, to be moderated by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, appears to be unprecedented in the annals of presidential politics in that no other candidate has ever before challenged himself to a one-on-one face-off. But speaking from his campaign headquarters in New York today, Mr. Giuliani appeared upbeat about his prospects of beating himself. “I know exactly what to expect from me, and I will be prepared,” he said. “May the best Giuliani win.” (05/13/07)
De Anza rape case sends bleak message http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6664 Shortly after the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office dropped the De Anza sex case and prompted two De Anza College girls to go public with their sickening story about what they believe had been the rape of a teenage girl, a young woman called the hotline at the YWCA rape crisis center in San Jose. She said she had been attacked, but the De Anza horror story made her think there was no point in trying to seek justice. "We're worried that the message this case sends to the next victim is `Why bother filing a report?'" Sandy Davis, director of the YWCA center, told me. (05/28/07)
Comments on the Men's Movement http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6662 The power is "out there". If we want control of our lives, and the simple right to be fathers and husbands, we have to go "out there" to get it back. MND has some of these angry, power-hungry guys reading it religiously. They justifiably want change and seem to think that knocking others down and playing games of one-upsmanship accomplishes something. They do not have the political seasoning to understand what should be done, nor the maturity to accomplish it, and are oblivious to the possibility that they are hurting both themselves and the movement. (05/28/07)
Is the Internet censored? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6661 Some nations control Internet access through government servers that censor incoming news and information, and in China "cyber dissidents" have been imprisoned. Censorship is justified by claims that Western democratic practices are disruptive to the social values propagated by the local regime, or that society must be protected from corruption by outside influences. One Saudi spokesman for business interests commented that Saudi Arabia's limited opening to the Internet was delayed until technology was available to prevent access to information contrary to Islamic values and "dangerous to our society". Almost all Internet users in China and the Middle East are blocked from accessing political Web sites that criticize the government of their country. However, Arab and Communist societies have a long history of suppressing freedom of speech, so internet censorship in these nations comes as no surprise. However, at the time Australia first proposed its own form of internet censorship, it was still considered a country with a completely free press. (05/28/07)
Cannes, 'illegal abortion' film wins http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6660 Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s low-budget film, ‘‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,’’ depicts the horrors a student goes through to ensure her friend can have a secret abortion. Mungiu, who was awarded the Palme d’Or by actress Jane Fonda, said he didn’t even have enough money to shoot the film just six months ago. He hoped the win would inspire other ‘‘small filmmakers from small countries.’’ (05/28/07)
Rudy's big question http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6655 Can a self-described social moderate win in a party of religious conservatives? That's the central question facing Giuliani's campaign. Let's consider the evidence on both sides. (05/24/07)
The impact of Internet on porn http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6652 The internet became main stream in the mid nineties which opened a gateway for people to access pornography anonymously and in the privacy of their own home in the years to come. This proved successful with money in the industry reaching a record high, and pornography reaching the homes of millions of people, the current figure in the UK is that a quarter of Britons view porn across the internet. Men across the world viewed pornography across the internet and felt more confident about viewing such images and movies as they could see the global demand for this market and people started realising that it is perfectly natural. Men had started to openly chat about porn, some found it funny, some informative, some repulsive and for some it became their life. [Ed.: arguably, the impact of anonymity and privacy has had a great impact on women as consumers of porn than upon men.] (10/03/06)
Duke: more Washington Post malice http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6651 The following exchange between criminal attorney Mark Geragos and MSNBC General Manager (then subbing as "Scarborough Country" host) about the role of the mainstream media in the Duke Hoax reveals the power of biased, politically correct, irresponsible media promoting an agenda under the guise of reporting the news and even scapegoating to do so. [Ed.: as usual, Gaynor provides superb commentary.] (05/27/07)
The divorce industry's legal child abuse http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6643 Of non-custodial parents: To experience their living presence is agony, to stand in a doorway and watch and listen to your child cry for you, plead to stay with you and yet to be forbidden to provide the love and company for which he cries. That is a horror no parent should suffer. But that is a horror routinely meted out to millions of parents and children by the systematic and cold-blooded brutality of our courts. How ironic that courts continue to justify this bureaucratic abuse using what is called the "tender years" doctrine, the Victorian notion that a child of less than 10 or 12 years primarily needs his mother. The court, like the welfare system, considers the father to be superfluous. As common sense and the research cited above indicate, someone forgot to tell the kids that their fathers are of secondary importance. [Ed.: I am not against divorce but "the divorce industry" that encourages and profits from spliting up families is detestable.] (05/26/07)
Amanda Marcotte smarter than Glenn Sacks? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6636 Background: In my May 8 blog post "Cadillac Thinks Humiliating Men Is Great Revenge--and Adweek Agrees." I wrote: "Another female 'revenge' commercial. In the Cadillac commercial 'Khakis' a female boss revels in humiliating and intimidating her male subordinates--and only her male subordinates. Adweek, one of the two leading advertising industry publications, evidently thinks it's great, naming the commercial one of its Best Spots of the Year 2006." To watch the commercial, check out my blog post at: glennsacks.com/blog/?p=641. Feminist blogger Amanda Marcotte criticized my criticism of this Cadillac ad in a blog post today. (05/24/07)
Can't non-whites just make art? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6634 ‘Within arts organisations, black people are seen as particularly needy, almost like in charity events for Africa. You know, there’s a kind of Christian Aid mentality – black people are not treated as individuals.’ A new book, Boxed In: How Cultural Diversity Policies Constrict Black Artists, which draws on interviews with UK artists and curators, was produced by the Manifesto Club’s Artistic Autonomy Hub, a network of artists, arts administrators, researchers and students who want to defend artistic autonomy and a vibrant culture founded upon artistic freedom. They argue that diversity schemes and targets are unwittingly creating a ghetto for black and Asian artists by pigeonholing them according to their ethnicity. (05/22/07)
INTRODUCTIONS AND BACKGROUNDERS
The severe consequences of domestic violence http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6650 Ever since our society's attitude toward domestic violence began to change, numerous laws have been enacted every year that specifically address domestic violence within our state and our federal statutes. As a result, the consequences of committing or being accused of committing domestic violence are also growing. The following list illustrates some of the severe consequences associated with domestic violence cases....
SCHOLARLY AND IN-DEPTH STUDIES
The SC and abortion rights http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.6638 George Annas, co-chair of the Health Rights and Bioethics Committee of the American Bar Association's Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section, in the May 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine examined the Supreme Court decision last month to uphold a ban on so-called "partial-birth" abortion, as well as earlier Supreme Court decisions that shaped U.S. policies related to abortion. (05/24/07)
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